DIXON – Around 1200 residents of a subdivision in Lee County were unable to use the roadways in or out of their community due to a Union Pacific Railway train blocking the crossings Tuesday morning. Around 2 AM the Lee County Sheriff’s Office was notified that the Woodland Shores subdivision west of Dixon was not accessible because a train had been stationary for a number of hours. Four intersections were blocked by the train, which was awaiting a relief crew due to the Union Pacific employees reportedly timing out. Just before 10 AM the train was split and one crossing at Nelson road was opened. Lee County Sheriff Clayton T. Whelan said he plans on addressing this with the higher-ups at Union Pacific to ensure this type of situation doesn’t happen again. The spokesperson for Union Pacific said that they apologized for the blocked crossing, and will attempt to move the train today.
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